You can panic or you can have a proven strategy to do what “All the King’s horses and all the King’s men couldn’t do for Humpty Dumpty…. Put him back together again! But you can put your diet back together again and stop worrying about looking like Humpty Dumpty for the rest of your life!

It’s so discouraging to be cruising along eating just the right amount of calories everyday. The right amount of calories so that you’re (a) not starving (b) getting enough food to fulfill your nutritional needs (c) successfully restricting your calories to be fewer going in than your body is burning for energy.

This lovely control has lasted for weeks, perhaps even months and you’re rewarded with lost inches and lower numbers on the scale. Things seem pretty much perfect, and then you slip.

It starts small, as in maybe just taking a second helping of lasagne and garlic bread, but then like a snowball rolling down a hill, it gains momentum. You can’t call it a slip any more, you now see you have royally blown your diet! A few of the pounds you worked so hard to take off are back! At this rate they’ll all be back in no time.

Time for Plan B!

1) Have a talk with yourself to get emotions under control and restore logic. Assure yourself, “No permanent damage has been done. It’s a detour, not a dead end.”

2) Take little steps to get back on track:

Get serious about portion control – weigh or measure

Track your food

Set small (ridiculously small completely achievable) goals to get your groove back

Plan B is a gentle way to get going towards your goal again. There is no beating yourself up for blowing it. There is no negative self-talk questioning your strength, power, self-discipline, intelligence, genes, or character.

About Jackie Conn

Jackie Conn is married and has four grown daughters and four grandchildren. She is a Weight Watchers success story. She's a weight loss expert with 25 years of experience guiding women and men to their weight-related goals. Her articles on weight management have been published in health, family and women's magazines. She has been a regular guest on Channel 5 WABI news, FOX network morning program Good Day Maine and 207 on WCSH.

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Jackie Conn

Jackie Conn is married and has four grown daughters and four grandchildren. She is a Weight Watchers success story. She's a weight loss expert with 25 years of experience guiding women and men to their weight-related goals. Her articles on weight management have been published in health, family and women's magazines. She has been a regular guest on Channel 5 WABI news, FOX network morning program Good Day Maine and 207 on WCSH.